Chicken-coop.



C. W. WRIGHT & H. B. WILLSON.

CHICKEN COOP.

APPucAnoN min mail. 1915.

1l 1l 96,625 Patented Aug'. 29, 1916.

"HHHH i ffy 6 9 A TTUH/VEYS CHARLES WALTER VT RIGHT AND HARDY BURK'WILLSON, 0F LITTLE ROCK, ALRKNSAS.

CHICKEN-COOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Application filed January '7, 1915. Serial No. 956.

To all whom it may. concern f Be itl known that we, CHARLES W. WRIGHT y kansas, has invented a new and useful Improvement in Chicken-Coops, of which the following is a specification.'

chicken coops, and has for its object to provide a coop of the character specified, forv containing poultry or other animals, whlch may be used until worn out or destroyed,`

and which is capable of being set up or knocked down, and which when set up will remain firmly and rigidly in this condition, and which when knocked down will occupy a small space and will be compact in form.

1n the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved coop set up, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section with parts folded, Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section with parts folded, and Fig. 4 is a side view of the coop knockeddown.

The present embodiment of the invention comprises a base or-bottom consisting of a substantially rectangular frame 1, having a continuous groove 2 at its inner side, and a plate 3 of sheet metal or the like is held in the frame, the edges of the plate being received in the groove 2. Sides are also provided, each side being composed of a substantially rectangular frame, consisting ofA upper and lower longitudinally extending bars or members 4 and 4a parallel with each other, and end bars or members 5, which connect the members 4 and 4rL in spaced par allel relation. At the upper corners the side frames are braced by brackets 6, each bracket embracing adjacent parts of the bars 4 and 5. The sides are completed by vertical bars 7 of metal, and formed from wire or rods of suitable cross section, and each side is hinged to the base at the adjacent side thereof. The hinge is made by a substantially lll-shaped bracket 8, whose body engages above the lower bar 4PIL of the adjacent side and whose arms. extend along the opposite sides of the said bar and theopposite sides of the adjacent side member ofthe frame of the bottom, and are secured to the said side member as indicated at 9. The bar 4"L is rounded at the U-shaped brackets or hinges in order to permit the side frames to swing into a position perpendicular to thev vbottom or superposed thereon. The sides of the coop have an aggregate width, less than or-equal to the width of the base or bottom, so that they-may b'e folded on to the bottom as shown in Fig. 3, and into the same plane.

A top is also provided for the coop, the

. top consisting of longitudinally extending Our invention is an improvement inv bars or members 10, arranged in spaced parallel relationand connected by cross bars 11. The cross bars 11 are spaced apart from the ends of the bars 10 as shown, and ends are hinged to the side bars 10 of the top at the ends thereof. Each of the ends consists of a substantiallyrectangular frame composed of upper and lower bars 12 and 13, respectively, which are connected in spaced parallel rela tion by end bars 14. The ends are completed' by a series of cross wires or rods 15, the said wires or rods extending between the upper and lower bars 12 and 13. The upper bar 12 of each end frame is connected to a bar 16 in any suitabley manner, and each of the bars 16 has its ends rounded or cylindrical as shown at 17. These rounded erds'of the bars'16 are received in U-shaped hinge brackets 18, the said hinges embracing the rounded or cylindrical portions 17 `of the bars 16, and the ends of the bars 10. Each end of each bar 10 is also recessed or concaved as shown at 19, and the rounded ends 17 of the bars 16 fit in between the ends of the bars 10 and the hinge brackets 18. The arms of the brackets are secured to the upper and lower faces of the bars 10, by means of nails or rivets 20, and the bars 11 are spaced apart from the bars 16 a suiiicient distance to permit the end frames to swing up between the said bars 1 1 and 16.

The end frames are of the same height or width as the side frames of the coop, and the bars 10V when the coop is set up rest on the bars 4 of the side frames. The bars 10 are connected at their ends between the bars 11 and 16, by means of a series of cross wires or rods 21. Each of the cross wires 21 has its ends bent angularly and received in openings in the upper faces of the bars 10. The end frames are arranged to swingl up between fthe adjacent bars 11 and 16 as shown at the right of Fig. 2, or down into a position between the bars 16 and the bottom, as shown in Fig. 1, and stops 22 are provided on the ends of the bottom for engagement by the lower bars 13 of the end frames, to

limit the outward swinging movement of the said frames. Each of the stops 22 is in the form of an angle plate, having one portion secured tothe bottom and the other is perpendicular-ly upward at the outer face of the end of the bottom. The bars 11 of the top are connected by cross rods or wires 23 and 24, the wires 23 being arranged near the bars 10, while the wires 24 are at the inner sides of the wires 28. The wires or rods 24 are connected near each bar 11 by a cross wire or rod 25, and other wires or rods 26 are arranged parallel with the wires or rods 24 and half way between the same. Thus an opening is provided at the center of the top, and this opening is arranged to be closed by a gate or door. The ends of the wires or rods 25 are bent around the wires 24, and the door is composed of' Wires or rods 27 and 28. The rods or wires 28 have.

their 4ends bent around the rods 24, and the said wires or rods 28 are arranged to slide on the wires or rods 24 and the wires or rods 27 connect the wires or rods 28, completing the gate or door.

The top of the improved coop is connected to the bottom by means of plates 29. Four of the plates 29 are used, two at each side of the coop, and each of the plates is pivoted at one end to the bottom frame at the side and near the end thereof, as indicated at 30.

The other end of each plate is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 31, which engages a headed pin 32 on the adjacent side member 10 of the top. The

plates 29 at each side of the coop incline in wardly toward each other at their tops, and the arrangement isA such that when the end f `frames are folded up into the position shown at the right of Fig. 2, and the side frames are folded down as indicated at the right of Fig. 3, the top may be dropped on to the folded sides as shown in Fig. 4.

To knock down the coop from the position shown in Fig. 1, the end frames are first released. Each end frame is held in vertical position by means of a catch 33, pivoted to the lower member 13 of the end frame at the center thereof and adapted to engage outside of the bottom to hold the end in vertical position. When the catch is released, the end frames may be folded up between the side bars 10 and the cross bars 11 and 16 of the top. The top is now lifted slightly and the side frames are folded inwardly onto the bottom as indicated in Fig. 3. The top may now be lowered on to the folded side frames, and the improved coop `is inposition for return.

ment of the side frames. The top when the coop is set up rests upon the bars 4 of the sides.

The poultry or animals may be put into the coop or taken out at the door 27-28, the said door being mounted to slide toward the right of Fig. 2 to open the same.

The catches 33 lock the coop in unfolded position and until these catches are released the coop cannot be folded. When folded the coop is of but slight thickness, and takes up but little room.

It will be understood that the coops may be of any desired size and may be composed of any desired material. It is obvious also that the mesh, that is, the distance between the rods or wires 7, 15, 21, 23, 24 and 26 will depend to some extent upon the size of the animal that is placed within the coop. No tools are needed in setting up, and there are no loose parts, every part being connected in such manner that it cannot become lost or misplaced. The coops may be reused unt-il worn out or destroyed, since they may be returned at a very low cost because of the compact form of the knock down coop. It is obvious that the sides and the ends might be solid plates, since the operation would be the saine in either case. In practice the plate 3 will be replaced by a thin board of wood.

We claim 1. A collapsible coop, composed of a bottom, a top, sides and ends, the sides and the ends consisting of substantially rectangular frames, and a filling for each frame, the side frames being hinged to the bottom at the sides thereof to fold on to the bottom or into position perpendicular to the bottom at the opposite sides thereof, the aggregate width of the side frames being equal to the width of the bottom, the top consisting of spaced parallel longitudinally extending bars, and cross bars connecting the said bars on each side of the center, and a filling between the cross bars and between the longitudinal bars, the end frames being hinged between the ends of the longitudi` nal bars to swing into a position perpendicular to the bottom or into a position between the longitudinal bars and the adjacent cross bar, and a pair of plates at each side of the coop for connecting the bottom and the top, the members of each pair being pivoted at their outer ends to the bottom near the ends of the sides, said members inclining inwardly toward the top, and having a sliding connection with the longitudinal bars of the top, the top resting on the upper edges of the sides when they are in perpendicular position, the ends swinging between the sides at the ends thereof when the said ends are in perpendicular position, stops on the bottom for limiting the outward swinging movement of the ends, and

catches for holding the ends in Vertical position.

2. A coop adapted to be collapsed and comprising a bottom, sides hinged to the bottom and adapted to fold thereon, a top adapted to rest upon the upper edges of the sides when the latter are extended, braces extending along the outer faces of the sides and limiting their outward movement, the lower ends of the braces being pivoted to the edges of the bottom and the upper ends of the braces having a limited sliding connection with the top to hold the latter in fixed determinate position when the crate is set up, ends hinged to the extremities of the top and engaging the inner faces ofthe sides to limit their inward movement, and means for securing the ends when swung to perpendicular position with reference to the bottom and top.

CHARLES WALTER WRIGHT. HARDY BURK WILLSON.

Witnesses:

O. L. EATON, T. S. SHANNON.

Gopies of this patent may The obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente. Washington, D. C. 

